I met this girl I really like, but I’m afraid to tell her because I’m a really shy person. I’m okay talking with most girls, but she’s different. Help!

It’s normal to feel shy around your crush because you care about what they think. You can start a conversation by finding something you have in common. Are you in the same math class, take the same bus, like the same sports team? You could start a conversation with “Hi, I noticed we’re in the same _____ class. I don’t think we’ve met yet. My name is __________.” Pause and see if she will introduce herself. If not, ask her what her name is then bring up something to keep the conversation going such as: “What do you think about _____________?” (Ex. the homework assignment or how your team is doing). You can’t go wrong if you are sincere, show interest in the other person, make eye contact, are a good listener, are in the moment and not distracted with your phone or something else. When it feels right, you might invite her to join in a group activity like hanging out with friends or going to a sports game.

Young Men’s Health (YMH) is produced by the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. The purpose of the website is to provide carefully researched health information to teenage boys and young men.